DPSCD Foundation Announces $5 Million Investment from Ford Motor Company and Bloomberg Philanthropies to Modernize and Expand Auto Technician Program

• The transformative investment will strengthen and expand career pathways at a historic scale for DPSCD, quadrupling the district’s capacity to train student auto technicians by 2028 

• Funding will help modernize and significantly expand the auto technician program at Breithaupt Career Technical Center and restart the program at Western International High School 

DETROIT, Mich. (June 8, 2026)  – Detroit Public Schools Community District  Foundation, the official philanthropic arm of Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), today announced a landmark $5 million joint investment from Ford Motor Company and Bloomberg Philanthropies to modernize and significantly expand the auto technician program at Breithaupt Career and Technical Center and restart the program at Western International High School.  

The funding will help more Detroit students gain hands-on training, industry-recognized credentials, and clearer pathways to in-demand skilled trades careers in the city that helped put the world on wheels. The investment is part of a newly announced national initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies to strengthen high school pathways into skilled trades careers by bringing schools, employers and local partners together. It will serve as a cornerstone of the district’s broader High School Redesign initiative, set to launch this fall at all 11 DPSCD neighborhood high schools. 

“Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is one of the most improved school districts in the country academically since the pandemic. Now that the District has been turned around, organizations better trust their investments to demonstrate a return on investment. In Detroit, we have an opportunity gap, not a talent gap. The investments announced today by the Ford and Bloomberg Philanthropies narrow that gap and once again demonstrate the power the District has to develop a more skilled workforce,” said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Superintendent, DPSCD. “By 2028, this investment in auto skills will quadruple our capacity to train student auto technicians, growing enrollment at Breithaupt and Western High School from 85 students to more than 300 students. This includes restarting the auto technician program at Western by converting former auto bays into modern, industry-aligned training spaces that give students access to the tools and environments they will experience in the workforce.” 

“This investment goes beyond facilities—it connects students directly to paid internships, transportation, and real-world learning opportunities that drive career success. Through our High School Redesign work, we are aligning classroom learning with high-growth industry demands and strengthening the skilled trades pipeline while offering a national model for how industry and education can work together to finally connect talent to  opportunity.” 

By 2028, this partnership will quadruple the district’s capacity to train student auto technicians, growing enrollment in the program at Breithaupt Career and Technical Center and Western International High School from 85 to over 300 students. The expansion includes restarting the auto technician program at Western International High School by transforming former auto bays, most recently used for storage, into modern training spaces for students.  

At Breithaupt, the investment will expand access to hands-on automotive training by modernizing instructional spaces, increasing capacity within existing automotive labs, and enhancing the learning environment to better support student projects and workforce preparation. The improvements will help significantly increase the number of students who can access automotive training and prepare for careers in one of Michigan's most in-demand industries. 

"Detroit has always been a city built by innovators, makers, and skilled trades professionals. This investment honors that legacy while creating new opportunities for the next generation," said Kerrie Mitchell Campbell-Mabins, President and CEO of the Detroit Public Schools Community District Foundation. "By expanding access to industry-recognized credentials, paid internships, transportation support, and hands-on training aligned with employer needs, we are creating more direct pathways from the classroom to high-demand careers. Through this partnership with Ford Motor Company and Bloomberg Philanthropies, we are not only strengthening Detroit's talent pipeline, but also creating a model for how philanthropy, industry, and public education can work together to connect students to opportunity at scale." 

The district’s High School Redesign initiative prioritizes aligning classroom learning with preparation for high-growth industries and strengthening the skilled trades pipeline by creating clearer routes from high school to careers. 

“The future of our country depends on the skilled trades,” said Jim Farley, CEO of Ford. “By 2029, we’re going to need more than 350,000 new auto technicians across the country — including about 7,000 here in Michigan. But these are highly skilled jobs, and people need a way to start learning earlier, build those skills over time and do it without taking on a lot of debt. That’s why Ford is investing in innovative programs like this — to disrupt the old model and give students a direct path from high school to great jobs, with the chance to keep growing their income, their skills and even their own businesses over time.” 

The $5 million investment focuses on four critical pillars that align with the district’s new strategic direction: 

• Modernizing Classrooms: Upgrading facilities with the latest automotive tools and industry-standard training technology to ensure students learn in environments that mirror modern repair shops. 

• Increasing Work-Based Learning & Credentials: Expanding access to professional certifications, internships and college-credit programs, including the Ford ACE Automotive Career Exploration curriculum. These opportunities will help students gain industry-recognized skills while still in high school. 

• Investing in Educators: Providing teachers with advanced professional development and training to ensure they are equipped to lead the new 2026-2027 curriculum standards. 

• Removing Transportation Barriers: Providing dedicated transportation support to ensure all students can reliably reach off-site training and work-based learning opportunities. 

“Today Bloomberg Philanthropies is launching the first national effort to connect high schoolers to in-demand careers in skilled trades, and our new partnership with Ford and Detroit Public Schools is a great example of it,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City. “The shortage of workers in the skilled trades is creating a major economic challenge for the whole country, and Ford and Detroit are stepping up to help solve it, by opening doors of opportunity to more young people.” 

This initiative reflects a shared commitment to helping students build their futures in the same place generations of auto workers, engineers, and innovators have helped shape the industry.